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Chapter 19. Setting time and date in Red Hat Enterprise Linux

The section contains how to set time and date in Red Hat Enterprise Linux:

The system time is always kept in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and converted in applications to local time as needed. Local time is the actual time in your current time zone, taking into account daylight saving time (DST).

The timedatectl utility is distributed as part of the systemd system and service manager and allows you to review and change the configuration of the system clock.

  • To change the current time: 

    # timedatectl set-time HH:MM:SS
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    Replace HH with an hour, MM with a minute, and SS with a second, all typed in two-digit form.

  • To change the current date: 

    # timedatectl set-time YYYY-MM-DD
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    Replace YYYY with a four-digit year, MM with a two-digit month, and DD with a two-digit day of the month.

  • To set the time zone:

    1. First, display the list of available time zones: 

      # timedatectl list-timezones
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    2. Based on the above list, set your desired time zone with this command: 

      # timedatectl set-timezone <your_preferred_timezone>
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The time change is audited by the operating system. For more information see the Auditing Time Change Events section in the Red Hat Certificate System Planning, Installation, and Deployment Guide.

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